Ward's Dreams
by A-Dream's-Nightmare
Summary: A companion fic to 'The Way We Fall'. Title is self explanatory.
1. Battleship

He was sitting on the Bus, in one of the comfy white recliners by the windows as if he belonged there. 'This is wrong,' he thought,' I'm not supposed to be here. I'm supposed to be at the base in Havana.' The last place he should be was in the Bus, sitting across from Skye with two Battleship boards between them. This was eerily familiar, his board littered with white pegs indicating misses and nearly all his battleships sunk, and Skye on the other side with a chesire-cat grin.

'No, don't smile at me!' he tried to tell her,' Don't trust me.' But he just couldn't get the words to come out his mouth, he couldn't get her to understand. She was still smiling at him, beautiful brown eyes looking at him like he was her most trusted friend. Then those perfectly shaped lips parted and like a melody, "E5," fell from them.

"Miss," he answered, or at least his voice did. Ward didn't actually mean to answer her back, it just sort of came out automatically. 'No! Don't play the stupid board game!' he yelled at himself, as if that could stop him. When nothing happened, he tried to scream at Skye,' Skye! This isn't real, none of this. Please remember! You hate me, I betrayed you!' But if she could hear his silent pleas, he never would know, she just kept on smiling.

Then he felt his own mouth open and he was speaking again, but not what he wanted to say," G2."

He saw her smile and her eyes sparkled. "Missed me!" she sang, nearly bouncing in her seat.

"Missed me… Missed me… Missed me…" The words echoed in his head, even as his vision began to blur. "Missed me… Missed me…" He didmiss her. He missed her so much, and sometimes there was an ache in his chest where he was missing her so much. Then he woke up.

* * *

Grant Ward sat up -jolted, really- in his cot, breath coming out in pants. He could feel his heart beating hard in his chest, a distinct thump thump thump whenever he breathed in and out.

What had he just been dreaming about? His head fell into the palm of his right hand, willing the memory to come back. He got a flash of a smile, brown hair, and the feeling of bitter regret, but nothing more. No matter how hard he willed it to come back, he couldn't clearly recall what it was about.

All he had was a strange urge to play Battleship…


	2. I'm Agent Grant Ward

The Night Night pistol felt comfortable in his hand, familiar and his fingers curled around it felt like coming home. Ward always felt best with a gun in his hand, safe and unstoppable, knowing that his skills with firearms would keep him alive another day. The fact that the Night Night pistols ensured that he didn't have to have _more_blood on his hands…that was just a bonus.

He lifted the pistol experimentally, looking down the sights and holding it as if he were aiming at a target. It took just a fraction longer than he liked to steady the weapon, not as quickly and easily as he usually did.

"I'm sorry, Fitz," he sighed and set the Night Night back onto the scientist's worktable," It's close, but it's just not right."

He almost felt bad Fitz looked at him with those big puppy eyes," Really?" He frowned and picked up the pistol himself, muttering," Agent Coulson had no problems."

"It's an ounce too heavy," Ward told him. A beat later, he paused…wait, this sounded familiar… Haven't they had this conversation before? His theory was confirmed when he heard Skye speak up from beside him," An _ounce_? Seriously?"

She sat at Simmons' desk, a massive binder that he knew to be the SHIELD handbook in front of her, and appearing rather frazzled. A silver bracelet on her wrist caught the light and flashed.

'_Skye_…' Ward breathed in shock; this was a memory. A long ago one, back when he was still trying to get used to the team. Back when he thought Skye was just another annoying Rising Tide hacker. "It's the difference between success and failure," his deep tenor voice answered her back, though Ward actively tried to stop himself. He couldn't even move around the table and walk to her, to pull her into his arms and kiss her and show her how much he missed her; he was stuck on his side of the table, immobile. "When you're on a rooftop with a 15 mile an hour wind and your target is 500 yards away-"

Dream Fitz cut him off," But we do have a rifle…"

Alright, Ward could admit that was a rather valid point. At least, now he could. But the Ward back then, the Ward in control of his body, just scowled at him," Lose the ounce."

Finally, he walked away from the table, but not in the direction he wanted. _'No! You idiot, walk the other way,'_ he tried to yell at himself, as foolish as that sounds. But alas, it was futile and he walked into the other room.

But not without hearing Fitz say in a mock deep voice, sounding like a back Clint Eastwood," I'm Agent Grant Ward. I can shoot the legs off a flea from 500 yards…as long as it's not windy." Both Dream Ward and Real Ward chuckled at that, and Real Ward felt his heart swell at the sound of Skye's laughter. God, it's been a while since he's heard that sound.

What he wouldn't give to hear it for real…

Dream Ward began walking away again, off to do what he had planned on doing in the first place. Whatever that was, Real Ward couldn't even remember anymore. All he remembered was when he came back, he could hear Simmons' voice. "I'm Agent Grant Ward and I could rupture your spleen with my left pinky… blindfolded."

Dream Ward halted in his steps. Did they _practice _making fun of him?!


	3. Silence is Golden

It was quiet, but not unbearably so. There was just no talking, no unnecessary noise, and finally _finally_…he could unwind. The hum of the Bus almost lulled him to sleep, and he was five minutes away from asking May if she minded if he took a nap. But…he's Agent Grant Ward and he doesn't take naps. Hasn't for as long as he could remember.

But still, sitting in the quiet flightdeck with its equally quiet pilot was as peaceful it was gonna get. He felt no need to talk and knew the Cavalry had no desire to spark a conversation, and that was okay with him. This gave him a chance to with his thoughts…and not be _alone_.

Any other time, his mind would be going a million miles an hour. He was always thinking of his mission, of his current teammates, of whatever terror they had faced today…but not this time. Right now, he was content with staring out the windshield and watch the sky form the view of a bird. Or a flying Bus.

'_The sunset's beautiful,_' he found himself thinking, and in that same thought he finally figured out why May was always flying the Bus during sunrise and sunset. It truly was stunning. He could not see the actual sunset, as they were heading east, but the final light of the day reflected off the clouds. 'They're pink,' he almost laughed at the absurd color, but then he couldn't tell if they were orange. Then they were yellow. They were all these colors and more; the clouds were on fire, burning with the last light of day.

_'Skye would love this,'_ came across his mind before he could stop it. But it was there and there was no use trying to push it out of his mind. Just like the thought that it fit her name perfectly.


	4. Dublin, version 1

He was in a bar. And it was rather nice bar, which baffled him because his usual hangouts were more on the dark and dingy end of the bar spectrum. This one was almost… classy. Like a hotel's lounge…

Oh well, if he was in a bar, he might as well have a drink. He could tell he's already had a few -his head was feeling a little woozy, but it felt _nice_- and why bother wondering why he was in a bar anyways? Bars were nice. Drinking was nice. Saying," Give me a scotch double, neat," was nice, even more so when he got it.

Having his gorgeous ex-rookie plop herself onto the stool next to him was exceptionally nice, if a bit unexpected. Ward's hand paused in its track to pick up his scotch and he blinked owlishly at her,' _Skye?'_

There was a smile on her face. "Hey," she smiled at him," I could get used to turn down service and little mints on my pillow."

_'Holy shit, this is Dublin!'_

"Skye?" he almost gasped her name, but it came out little more than a whisper. His breath caught in his throat upon realizing that he had spoken, _actually_ spoken what he meant to say and wasn't just echoing what his past self had did. _'Can I?'_ he almost feared to hope,'_ Can I control my dreams now?'_

If that was the case, this was good. This was _very_ good.

"Hey, I'm just saying we deserve a nice night," Skye said back to him, mistaking his surprise for exaspheration,"… you especially." Post Berserker Ward, maybe. But right now, what he needed was a redo. For everything.

He decided to test his theory and see if he could really control himself in his own dreams now. "Just stay with me and I'll be good." Aha! He said it!

He should've said that the first time around, if only to see her smile this brightly. "Flirting, Agent Ward?" she pretended to look scandalized," Did that Asgardian staff mess with your programming, Robot?"

_God_, he missed her little nicknames. He couldn't believe that the whole time living on the Bus, he thought he hated her little robot nicknames (Robot, T-1000, Wall-e) but a week without hearing even her voice and here he was going crazy. These dreams were proof.

Unfortunately, Skye thought his silence meant his disapproval of her joking about the Berserker staff. He forgot; to her, they just spent a very emotional day with a rage-induced Ward running amok. She thought it was too early to be making jokes about it. (She didn't know that in just a week, she would be calling his reoccuring temper outbreaks 'hulking out') "I'm so sorry, Ward," she backtracked, and he thought it was cute how her face turned pink," Too soon, I know. I just- well, I didn't think you'd really want me sitting here with you, after-" He cut her off by taking her hands in one of his own. She stuttered to a halt, her wide brown eyes staring down at his large hand covering hers.

He liked the feeling. Her hands were just so small in his; he knew from experience that he could fit his entire body around her, protect her from explosions and whatever else the world threw at them. "I'm sorry," he told her, his voice low and he meant for so much more than just 'hulking out' at her in Fitzsimmons' lab," I like hearing you talk, sometimes I just… don't know how to talk back."

She stared at him like he grew an extra head.

He sighed, glancing down when he realized he still held his glass of scotch in his other hand. '_Eh, why not?'_ With a shrug, he downed the rest of his drink, wincing only slightly as the big gulp burned down his throat. But it was a good burn, and it continued to warm his body as it settled in his stomach. He signalled the barkeep to just give him a bottle of wine -Skye preferred vodka, but as this was an Irish bar they wouldn't have any. As the barkeep dug for a bottle of wine and two glasses, Ward turned back to Skye. "You offered to talk earlier, and I kind of…yelled at you," he tried to sound apologetic, but he may have come off kind of hopeful (he really hoped this dream would go along with what he wanted and didn't completely backfire on him) Grabbing the wine lightly in his left hand, he held it up to her like a peace offering," I'm willing to have that talk now. How about we go upstairs?"

* * *

He gladly followed her to her room, though he had a brief moment of panic when he realized it was right next to Coulson's. Then he remembered this was a dream, and with a smile he ducked into Skye's room with a bottle of wine in one hand and one of hers in the other. They left the glasses downstairs.

They talked for he didn't know how long. It could've been hours, long enough to finish off the bottle between the two of them. He'll admit that he drank quite a bit more than she did, but that was only because he just sat and listened while she talked. She did most of the talking, and he enjoyed hearing her voice. Just as he remembered, she was lively and animated, waving her hands around as she told him about the time she got kicked out of a bar for dancing on the table. (He would've paid to see that)

He's not sure why he did it, he really did just want to hear her talk. He missed her voice. But as he watched her, his eyes tended to stray towards her lips and he noted that they were very pink and lush and quite possibly kissable. Maybe it was the scotch and wine, maybe it was the fact that he couldn't remember ever being this relaxed, knowing that this was a dream. All he knew was one second she was giggling at some snarky comment he made, and the next he was leaning forward on the bed and captured her lips with his own.

Dear God, was this what heaven felt like? He remembered that time she kissed him in the Hub, but that was filled with blood, sweat, and the fear of not coming out alive. This kiss, this was heat and passion and okay, maybe a little bit of drunkenness, but the perfection of this kiss all but sealed the fact that this was nothing more than a dream. But it was a good dream, and he was going to enjoy it while he could.

She moaned into his mouth and it drove him crazy. The next second his arms were wrapped around her waist and he hauled her forward, the bottle of wine knocked to the floor -it was almost empty anyways. Skye settled into his lap, her knees on either side of his hips, and she kissed him back with all the fervor he gave her. It was his turn to moan when her small hands buried into his hair, pulling lightly at it to angle his head upwards. '_God, she's perfect,'_ he thought and his own hands sunk lower…lower…lower, until he felt the firm flesh of her behind in both his palms.

That's when she pulled away from his mouth, gasping for air," Ward," and he found he quite liked the sound of his name being gasped like that. One of his hands left her ass to cradle the back of her neck as he tried to pull her back down for another kiss. "Wait, Ward," she resisted, placing both her hands on his chest and pushing," Wait." A whining sound came from the back of his neck, yet he acquiesed. Why wait? This was _his_ dream, wasn't it? But even then, he couldn't find the strength to deny her anything she wanted.

"Why?" he whispered, choosing to instead graze her neck with butterfly kisses.

"You, mister," she pushed at his chest again, forcing his lips to leave her tantalizing skin," are drunk."

"No, I'm not," he said automatically, not caring if he sounded like a petulant child or not. This was _his_ dream, damnit!

She smiled at him, that same sweet smile she always did when he did something she found sweet. "I will only kiss you if you're sober," she told him," That way you can't be mad at me for taking advantage of you." He wouldn't be mad, honest.

"Skye," he tried to explain it to her, but she put a finger to his lips.

"You, Grant Ward," she spoke with a wry smile," are going to bed and sleeping off that magic voodoo and alcohol." Right… magic voodoo, Berserker staff, the whole reason they were staying in a hotel in the first place. But that was months ago, he wanted to tell her. Yet he hated it when she was right: he was feeling a little lightheaded. Maybe it was the alcohol; he was more inclined to believe it was her herself.

"Think you can make it back to your own room?" she asked.

"No," came the immediate answer, to which she laughed. She accused him of trying to have a sleepover; he didn't deny it. Yet she allowed him to strip his shirt off and settle under the covers of her bed while she ran to the ensuite bathroom to get a glass of water. He leaned up on his elbows when she reentered, wearing the pajamas he knew she favored and carrying a paper cup of nice, cool tap water.

"Drink," she pushed it into his hand. He obeyed, drinking it all in one go yet he never took his eyes off her. Even as she walked around the bed and settled in on his other side. Not a moment after she got under the covers, did he finish his water, set the cup on the nightstand and roll over so he could gather her up into his arms. She burst out giggling, struggling only the tiniest bit as he hauled her to lay on top of his chest.

"Don't I get a good night kiss?" he asked.

She chuckled. "I think I like you when you're drunk," she murmured with a smile before lowering to give him a light kiss. He could get used to this, a beautiful woman lying on top of him and a sweet kiss goodnight. If only she hadn't pulled away when he tried to deepen it.

"_Goodnight_, Grant," she shook her head at his persistance. If he pouted, that was only because his persistance was futile. She laid her head on his chest and sighed deeply, sighing in content.

"Goodnight, Skye," he whispered into her hair and closed his eyes.

This was a good dream.

* * *

It was a good dream. For when next Ward opened his eyes, it was to the sight of red bricks and basement ceilings. He was back in Havana, Cuba and not in Dublin, Ireland. A groan escaped him and he closed his eyes again, willing the dream to come back. But…he was awake, and it wasn't coming back. Nor was Skye, or Dublin, or any chance he ever had of making that night come true.

_'I made the wrong choice in Dublin,'_ he berated himself. If only he hadn't needed to sleep with Agent May for his mission, to 'let things get intimate'. It all had been pointless anyways. It did nothing to negate her as a threat, and he was miserable the whole time knowing he couldn't be with Skye. To think, he could've spent months with the woman he was truly attracted to, made the best of those months before it all went to hell.

_'You're a stupid man, Grant.'_


	5. Dublin, Version 2

_'We've been here before,'_ was pretty much Ward's only thought when he hauled Skye into his lap, kissing her lips with a fervor he hadn't previously known he possessed. But then she made a little whining sound in the back of her throat and twisted her fingers in his hair, pulling to make him angle his head back and all thought flew out the window. All he knew was that one second, he had been staring at her lips as she told him some story or other, and the next he leaned forward and captured her lips in his own. She had moaned, so slightly that it was barely more than a contented sigh, and that was it for him. She was then in his lap, her knees on either side of his hips and her fingers buried in his hair, pulling and making those delicious little sounds.

He was starting to get a crick in his neck, with the way she yanked his head back so he was looking up at her while she devoured his mouth, but damn if he didn't love it. '_God, she's perfect_,' he thought as his hands sunk lower…lower…lower until he felt the firm flesh of her behind in his palms. Without missing a beat, he pulled her hips forward while grinding up experimentally into her. His reward was amazing, as long as she continued to make that little mewling sound.

"We probably shouldn't be doing this," she gasped out when he repeated the action, but damn if he hadn't heard the moan she made. She was just as turned on as he was, evident in the way her breath caught when he squeezed her ass.

"We'll probably get in so much trouble," he whispered back before diving for her neck. He felt more than heard the way she made that little stuttering gasp sound as he laved it with open mouthed kisses.

"So, so much trouble," she groaned.

While he hated to be redundant, but damn if it wasn't all worth it. Her hips snapped forward again, this time of her own will, and Ward threw his head back when she rubbed against his cock just right. Even through all their layers of clothes, he could feel her heat and he wanted nothing more than to _burn_.

Soon, but somehow not soon enough, she was scrabbling at his shirt, pulling at the hem impatiently. He pulled back just far enough to let her pull it over his head and arms -she threw it to some unknown corner of the room- and then he was back to holding her tight in his arms. The disposal of the shirt had cooled him off significantly, yet didn't last long the instant she laid her hands on his bare skin.

Her touch was not shy nor soft, as he half expected, but firm and sure as she roved over his chest. Her nails scratching lightly at his skin and the sensation overloaded his sense of touch, he shivered under her expert hands. With the heel of her hand, she rubbed all the way up his pecs before grabbing his shoulders and grinding onto his erection. He broke away from her lips with a deep throated groan. "You," he gasped," are a minx."

The sly smirk she flashed told him that she knew it too. "And wearing far too many clothes," he amended; now it was his turn to pull at her shirt. She acquiesed, letting him nearly rip it over her head, but unhooked her own bra before he even had the chance to. "I was looking forward to doing that," he pouted, but in the end he didn't mind as together they threw it onto the floor and she was bare before him. He wasted no time in assaulting them, his hands grasping both firmly and then he used his thumbs to rub the stiffening peaks. He watched as her eyelids fluttered shut at the sensation and he felt pride at having put that expression on her face. He wondered what she'd do if he did this…

"Grant!" Her eyes shot wide open when he settled his lips over her right breast and nipped at it softly with his teeth. Oh, how he loved to hear his name said like that! He repeated the action, just to hear her gasp his name again.

A delighted hum escaped his throat and his own eyelids slid shut as he happily suckled her breast, his other hand tweaking the nipple of the other.

Her fingers soon returned to the back of his head, keeping him right there; he had no objections. "I always knew you were a boob man," she teased, scraping his scalp lightly with her nails. It felt heavenly.

Grant released her nipple with a pop and looked up at her with a wry grin. "Just yours," he teased right back," You shouldn't have teased me with them when we first met."

She laughed at that, remembering how she teased him the first time they met, during his so-called 'interrogation', in which she pulled her shirt down enough for him to see her cleavage. Still, it had been fun to see his eyes wide and pupils dilated before he snapped his jaw shut with a click.

Skye simply smiled down at him, grabbing his face and bringing it back to hers for a mind numbing kiss. While Ward liked her breasts, he liked kissing Skye more. This was nice, this was heavenly, this was way too good to be true but he was going to enjoy it while he could. '_One day, I'll kiss her like this,_' he vowed then and there,' _I'll_ _kiss her the way she deserves, and not in some closet._' Nevermind that said kiss had been circumstancial and was probably one of the best moments of his life. He really wished he could've gotten the chance to kiss her aga-

Then Dream Skye rolled her hips against his and Ward's mind blanked.

"You should take your jeans off," she groaned against his mouth, and he swallowed her moan eagerly. God, she was so sexy.

His fingers briefly left the cheeks of her ass to hook into the belt loops at her side, pulling her even closer. She grinded against his dick just perfectly, and if it weren't for all these damn layers of denim between them it'd feel even better. "You first," he ordered in a growly tone.

Skye wasted no time in complying with his demand, almost falling to the floor in her rush to stand up and shimmy out of her jeans. She was so quick about it that not only did it leave Ward a little bit disappointed -this was his dream, couldn't she at least strip tease for him?- but he hadn't even had time to do anything about his own attire. It was only once she was down to her underwear -black cotton bikini- and raised her eyebrow at him did he remember. He also wasted no time in divesting of his pants, but at least he didn't bother leaving his briefs on.

"Come here," he growled and hooked his fingers around the edges of her panties, pulling her towards him.

Rip! "Hey, I liked those ones," she protested when he ripped the sides clear off her. With a self satisfied smile, Ward dropped the now ruined black panties on the floor. "I did too," he responded," Now I like them even more."

She laughed lightly at that, but it caught in her throat when one of his hands rubbed at her mound. "Oh Ward," she breathed his name with a shiver in her knees. The shakes became more pronounced once his middle finger found her clit, and he flicked it back and forth mercilessly.

Ward loved the way her hands anchored on his shoulders, doing all she could just to stand up. "Here, sit on my knees," he offered, tugging her until her warm bottom was nestled between his knees and her thighs dangled over his own. Then he widened his legs, forcing her own to open further, opening her sweet center for his perusal. In the light of the room, he could already tell she was glistening wet. God, she was dripping! (There may have been some slight exaggeration due to this being a dream, but he was ignoring that for now)

He continued playing with her clit with one hand, the other splayed across her back for support. Then her chest was right there in front of him, and so he couldn't help himself. Leaning forward, he took one nipple into his mouth. Moans and gasps spilled out of her mouth like a symphony he never tired of. Soon, he noticed her hips rocking back and forth, searching for something to grind against and finding nothing but his solitary finger on her clit.

"Grant," she groaned and he knew exactly what she wanted.

Idly, his finger lowered until it could brush against her folds -so wet and warm!- but did not thrust in. He was aware of a keening sound she was making and knew he was teasing her overwhelmingly. Yet the look of pleasured agony on her face was too sexy when he just swirled his fingers around, never quite taking that plunge. She moaned again. "Do you think I could make you come, just like this?" Was that his own voice, all rough and husky?

Her answering moan told him that yes, she did like his voice deepened like that and yes, he probably could make her come without any penetration.

Grant decided to test that theory. With the tips of his fingers now glistening wet, he returned them to her button and relentlessly rubbed it. "Ah!" Skye wailed, her mouth opening in pleasure and Ward felt his cock twitch in response. She was so hot like this, he couldn't wait to see what face she made once he was finally inside her.

A moment or two later, after much writhing and begging on Skye's part, Ward felt her back arch under his hand. She was close, dangerously close, and all he had to say was," Come for me," and then she was gone.

He waited for her to come down from her high, ignoring the fact that he was so hard it was bordering on painful. "Good?" he asked, kissing her mouth lightly.

"_Very_ good," she panted and leaned forward to kiss him harder," But I swear if you don't fuck me right now…" She left the threat hanging and part of Ward didn't want to know what punishment she might think up for him. He very much liked his balls right where they are, thank you. Another part of him, his cock, jumped in anticipation and he groaned deeply. Such crude words and yet _so_ Skye.

And well… Ward was very good at following orders. He took a few precious seconds to grab his dick and rub it a few times, spreading her juices on to slick it, then he was pulling her forward until he was slid home. So so so perfect! He said as such, and heard Skye moan in agreement. "Move," she commanded, and he was happy to oblige.

In and out, he rocked within her, his strong arms lifting her hips up and down. She was so beautiful and perfect, Ward thought, as she rode atop him. Her head was thrown back, her face to the heavens, as she was impaled over and over again on him. Her hands were like fire upon his body, scratching and clawing at his skin, grasping at his hair. The sounds coming out of her mouth were crude and passionate and he longed to hear them in real life.

His end came when hers did, and while part of him thought it was because this was a dream and everything was so cliché, he liked to think it was because of the way her inner muscles clenched around him when she came. All he knew was once she screamed out in bliss, he felt a sudden stranglehold on his cock and it couldn't have been more perfect. His orgasm hit him like a waterfall, unexpected and so so good. And he might've cracked her back with the sudden way he crushed her body to his, but neither of them were complaining.

In fact, her first words once she could breath again were," That was… Wow." She sounded so breathy and dazed, and Ward felt a surge of pride for being the one to make her sound that way. A deep chuckle rumbled in his chest and she felt as well as heard it. "I'm serious," she hummed contentedly," I'm pretty sure I can never call you a robot again, because damn…"

He chuckled again and lied back down on the bed, hauling her with him. "I'll miss the nicknames though," he told her, partly because it was true and partly because it sounded like a good response.

"How about we keep the name Turbo?" she suggested.

"Been a while since I heard that one," he mused," Not since Peru." She hummed in agreement, and Ward felt her chest vibrate against his with it.

Suddenly, he rolled her over so that he was lying on top of her. "Care to test the nickname out?" he asked, grinning wolfishly down at her.

"_Again_?" Her eyes widened when she felt him stiffen within her.

He winked devishly at her. "Again."


	6. Waiting

Ward wanted to be there the instant she woke up. "It could take a few days, Ward," Jemma warned him when she found him haunting the medical bay in the middle of the night.

It had only been half a day since they administered the Gh-325 after finding it in a hidden base. Him, Coulson, May, and Fitz alone went to retrieve it; even fought off two hostiles and escaped an exploding mountain but it was worth it. Skye was going to live, which Jemma made abundantly clear after checking her vitals every couple hours. Even well into the night Jemma would return to check up on Skye, only to find that Ward hadn't moved from her side.

"I'm good," he simply said, readjusting himself in the uncomfortable metal chair but making no moves to stand up.

Jemma sighed as she replaced the nearly empty IV bag (she once explained to him what it was, but he forgot) with a new one. "The GH-325 is helping, but her body still needs rest and recovery," she told him, as if this wasn't the fifth time she'd done so. When Ward didn't say anything, Jemma glanced at him. He refused to leave that chair, and despite leaning back in attempt to get comfortable, she still knew that was not a pleasant chair to sit upon. "You need rest too," she reminded him," You infiltrated a hostile base and narrowly escaped being blown to bits. Even Fitz and Coulson are taking the night off to rest."

But still he shook his head," I'm not leaving her, Simmons."

She fell silent and didn't quite know what to think about that. She knew Ward to normally be a grumpy man, who liked to distance himself from others, who liked his solitude, but right now… he sounded like a man in love.

"Do you…" she ventured to ask," love her?" Half of her expected him to deny it, to say he was only being a responsible S.O. That he was only looking out for her the same way he would for anyone else he deemed worthy of protecting.

She certainly wasn't expecting him to immediately nod his head and answer," Yes."

Jemma blinked rapidly many times. In the end, despite all her vocabulary prowess, all she could manage was," Huh?" She glanced back and forth between him and Skye, noticing the gentle way he stared at her. A few times, she had even caught him with his hand holding Skye's, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. But in their past encounters, Jemma never would've guessed that Ward was a man in love.

"Does she know?"

Sadly, he shook his head. "But," he added," I'm going to tell her when she wakes up." His dark eyes flickered over to Jemma before returning back to Skye. "I want it to be the first thing she hears," he admitted.

And Jemma thought that was the most romantic thing she's ever heard.


	7. How to Give Coulson a Heart Attack

Jemma and Coulson had been present when Skye woke up three days later, but Ward didn't care. He was thankful that Jemma remembered his wish to be the first one that Skye saw or heard, and after a brief panic upon seeing her eyes open, Jemma turned around and hissed at Coulson to 'shush, and let Ward and Skye be.' She then promptly pushed a very flustered and somewhat annoyed Phil Coulson outside. Ward knew they were on the other side of the glass door, but he had eyes only for Skye.

She was blinking up at him wearily, fighting through the daze. "Ward?" she said his name weakly, but he'd never been happier to hear her voice.

He nodded, barely stopping himself from answering," _Yeah, it's me._" But then he reminded himself that he wanted to tell her something else first. One of his large hands came up and cupped her cheek, and he was smitten to see her lean into his touch with a half smile. "Skye," he spoke, his voice no more than a whisper," There's something I need to tell you."

She looked up at him in confusion and Ward really hoped she understood him. He didn't exactly know how long it took a person waking up from a coma to be truly aware of their surroundings. But as if in answer to his worry, she reached up with her own hand and wrapped it gently around his own. "I'm listening," she told him the same time she tucked his hand in the crook of her neck, hugging it lightly to her body.

Ward took a deep breath,' _Now or never,_'then plunged right in," I love you."

There was a distinct strangled "gyuh!" sound from the doorway, where Coulson might've had a mini heart attack. Then came Jemma's "Aww!"

And Skye… perfect, amazing, wonderful Skye just smiled up at him with that teasing look in her eyes that made him all gooey inside every time and just said," Kiss me and prove it."

So he did.


	8. What Could Have Been

The next dream comes in snippets, bit and pieces of scenes that come together to form a larger story.

* * *

The first thing he sees is Coulson's angry face, but it's not a typical angry face. It's more along the lines of threatening and briefly, Ward wonders what he did to deserve it. "Are you trying to bullshit me?" Coulson asks suddenly, his eyes narrowing at him.

"Umm…" Ward glances around, hoping to find some clue as to why he might be in trouble. They're in Coulson's spacious office, surrounded by the familiar memoribilia from before Ward's time. Nothing appears to be out of place. He looks back at Coulson and flinches; he seems a bit more angry with how long it's taking Grant to respond. Maybe it's safer to just go along with it," No, sir?"

Dream Coulson's glare doesn't let up. "Because if you break her heart, I will have you transferred to Alaska and you'll be guarding Blonsky's cryo-cell for the rest of your life. Do I make myself clear?"

He remembers the real Coulson making the same threat in regard to his sleeping with Agent May, but not with this intense intimidation, nor did he ever warn about breaking May's heart. He was more concerned with it affecting their professionalism.

So who was he talking abo- Wow, Grant couldn't believe it took him this long to figure it out. _Skye_. He was talking about Skye. Maybe this dream was a continuation of the one he had last night, of the one where he told Skye he loved her upon her waking. That's right, Phil almost had a heart attack when he saw the confession…

So Ward nodded with a certain amount of determination. "I meant what I told her, sir," he said. And if he ever got the chance to tell it to her in real life, he would mean that with all his heart too. But for now, he'd have to settle with a dream imitation.

He watched as the tension slowly filtered out of Coulson's shoulders and the older man leaned back til he was sitting on the edge of his desk. He sighed," Fury's going to kill someone. I wonder who."

Grant sincerely hoped it wouldn't be him

* * *

Skye was smiling up at him, her face bright and happy despite being confined to a medical bed in a hospital gown. "Are you here to break me out of jail?" she asked hopefully, widening her eyes just a tiny bit to make them adorable and just on this side of hypnotizing. Ward smiled; she looked adorable when she was trying to use the puppy dog eyes on him.

So he leaned forward and kissed her briefly on the lips. "You're still recovering," he reminded her, though they both knew the bullet holes in her stomach were naught but scars by now.

Skye's puppy eyes turned into a surly pout. "Not you too," she whined," It's bad enough that Simmons won't let me even stand up to use the bathroom by myself. I don't think I can live through another day on bed arrest."

He's heard it all before, both real and dream, and so he just smiles and shakes his head. "It's 'bed rest'," he corrects her," And it's just for a few more days, I promise."

"I'm going to hold you to that, Robot, or else I'm going to change your official name on all official records to Mr. Fluffy Snufflebottom," she threatens. And everyone knows she's capable of it too.

But Grant Ward (for now) just rises an eyebrow," Mr. Fluffy Snufflebottom?"

She just shrugs," It was the best I could come up with on short notice." Ward decides that if they ever get a pet, Skye's not allowed to name it.

* * *

The next day, Skye convinces him to bring her something to wear other than "ugly hospital gowns". To mess with her, he brings her a pair of her gym shorts and one of his old Ops Academy sweatshirts, nothing more.

To spite him, she actually wears them, chucking the hospital gown on the floor.

Upon reentering the med pod and seeing her sitting crosslegged on the bed, her legs sinfully visible and the hem of the sweatshirt just barely covering the shorts, Ward feels suddenly too hot. He promptly turns around, walking a little awkwardly because his pants are suddenly too tight, and goes to take a cold shower.

The next time he goes to see Skye, she's smirking and he brings her a pair of her favorite jeans. He just snaps at her," You won't be smirking in a couple days when I can get you all alone."

Her smirk just grows wider," Looking forward to it, Hotshot."

* * *

He makes good on his promise. The instant Jemma gives Skye the all clear with a warning about no field work until she says so. "Yes, Doctor Simmons," Skye just salutes then saunters out of the med pod, going in search of her boyfriend.

At first she can't find him. She's checked both their bunks, the living area, even the lab but Grant Ward is nowhere to find. So she decides to ask the others, who are up at the bar celebrating a successful mission retrieving yet another Chitauri neurolink. But just as she goes to climb the spiral staircase, someone grabs her around the waist from behind.

Before she can scream, a hand claps over her mouth.

"Shh, it's me," she hears Grant's voice in her ear and she makes a sound of annoyance. He removes his hand and she turns her head enough to glare at him," You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Grinning devishly at her, he kisses her full on the mouth and Skye forgets that she was angry at all. Soon, he's hauling her backwards and it takes her a second to realize he's opening the back door of the SUV. He's stowed the back two rows of seats and laid down a few blankets to create a makeshift bed. "What?" she gapes at him, but follows him in anyways. He shuts the door behind them and wastes no time in laying her down, hovering over her. "The SUV, really?" she looks up at him, but she'd be blind and stupid to not like the way he looks, his pupils blown wide and a smirk that speaks volumes of badboyness.

"The bunks don't have ceilings," he simply tells her as he lowers herself so his lower half is pinning her to the floor," They don't block sound." And the entire team is sitting in the lounge, dangerously close to the bunks. Skye concedes; he was fairly strategic with this place. It's pretty good at being soundproof, the windows are all tinted and unless someone smushed their face against the glass they couldn't look in, and honestly who would look for them in here.

There's just one flaw. "I think they'll notice the vehicle rocking," she half gasps, because now he's lowered his head and mouthing slow kisses up the column of her neck. Involuntary, her body arches into him. And damn if she can't feel that tent in his jeans.

Ward kisses his way up her ear and breathes hotly, his voice low and full of sinful promises," We'll have to save rough and hard for next time, then." And her breath catches in her throat, which has nothing with how he kisses her again, his tongue invading her mouth until she happily responds. Because he's promising slow and torturous and she's already hot and writhing at the thought of it.

Grant smirks against her lips, pleased that she likes his plan as well as he does

* * *

Someone -Ward has a suspicion it's May because she's a stickler for protocol and she's already threatened to castrate him- lets it slip that Ward has 'more than a friendly relationship' with his rookie. So of course this rumor reaches the ear of Agent Victoria Hand. And Ward's not sure if it's because Agent Hand just doesn't like him or Skye (he still remembers how easily Skye pissed her off during their search for Coulson) or if she's genuinely here to arbitrate, but sure enough the level 8 pays the Bus a visit.

Upon boarding the plane, Coulson greets her cordially as expected, but Hand's eyes are solely on Ward. He gulps at the predatory gaze she has, as if she's trying to decide what's the best way to kill him and which way gives her least amount of paperwork. "I'll get to _you_ later," she warns, then goes off in search of Skye, making it clear that she and the hacker are to be alone during their 'talk'.

Fifteen minutes later, Agent Hand returns, stomping her feet and her face beet red. Ward is observant enough to realize that it's more from embarrassment than from anger. He really wonders what Skye said to her and when he later asks her about it, Skye just grins slyly.

"Apparently, Agent Hand is uncomfortable talking about sex," she says," I don't know why, I _love_ talking about what a stud you are." Grant can't decide if he's embarrassingly mortified like Victoria (Skye's been bragging about him to his superiors?!) or impressed that she rendered the famous Victoria Hand silent

* * *

For the rest of Hand's visit, which spans over three days, Skye is all over him. Seriously, everywhere he goes Skye is there. One or both of her arms are wrapped around him (waist, shoulders, neck, or arm) and often leans up on her tiptoes to give her a kiss. If she didn't make it so obnoxiously… _obnoxious_ and tended to be more dramatic about in Hand's presence, he wouldn't have realized she was doing it to piss her off.

And Ward curses himself, because he's loving every single second of it. He loves having Skye's body wrapped around him, he loves her kissing him all the time and even when she isn't he's the one leaning down to smooch her, and he loves the things she whispers in his ear at the most inopportune moments. And then he's mortified because now he's sporting a tent in his pants.

It gets to the point that as soon as Victoria Hand sees them entering the room, she gets up and bolts. Even Fitzsimmons and Coulson will just walk out. The only one who doesn't let it get to her is May. She simply sits whereever she is at the moment, maybe spare them a glance, then ignore them as if they don't exist. When Skye asks her about it one day, May gives her version of a shrug and answers," Barton and Romanov are a thousand times worse."

* * *

On the third day when they land back at the Hub, Victoria cannot get off the plane fast enough.

* * *

Then one day, everyone wakes up to find Director Nick Fury sitting at the bar, sipping at some Jack Daniel's. When they're all standing before him, half in awe and half in terror (they're midair and none of them felt a quintjet land on roof last night), he makes them all sit in their fear while he finishes his whiskey.

Finally, he sets the empty rocks glass down on a coaster and then his sole eye is roving over all of them.

"Victoria Hand had a one night stand for the first time in her life, after years of Maria Hill trying to get her to find a boyfriend," he simply announces," I want to meet the one responsible."

Then Skye, the _minx_, grins and asks," Was he hot?"

* * *

Ward wakes up that morning laughing.


	9. Unsecret

He stands outside Coulson's office but hasn't knocked yet. Instead, he just shuffles his feet. He wants to run, to forget about everything and pretend everything is normal, but sheer force of will keeps him rooted. But he cannot bring himself to knock.

Eventually, Coulson's voice echoes through the door," I know you're there, Ward. Now get your ass in here, you're making _me_ fidgety ." And for a man made of infinite calm, that's saying something.

Ward recognized the direct order for what it and he opens the door and steps in before he can run. Coulson is sitting at his desk, filling out paperwork -per usual- but right now his attention is fully on Ward. "What's wrong?" he asks and Grant knows he's genuinely concerned. That just reinforces his will and encourages him to do what he came here to do; Coulson was a _good_ man, he deserves the truth. Ward trusts Coulson implicitly, knows that he's a reasonable man and that no matter what happens to him from here on out, he trusts Coulson to help him through it.

Taking a deep breath, Grant screws his eyes shut (he's too much of a coward to tell Coulson while looking him in the eyes) and blurts it out," I'm a Hydra sleeper agent. I'm here to turn myself in."


	10. Curl Up in a Ball and Run

Sometimes, Coulson isn't the first person he tells. Skye is.

They're sitting on the floor of the cargo area, right after a training session. She's sitting crosslegged in front him and he's slowly unwrapping her hands. He's aware that he's staring a little too hard at her hands and he's going unnecessarily slow about it, but he enjoys the feeling of her hands in his. A part of him knows that she'll pull away from as soon as he tells her, and he just wants this one moment between them to last as long as possible. It's likely to be their last.

"Hey," she finally speaks and he can tell she's worried," Grant, what's wrong?" And that's when he knows she's _really_ worried. She only ever calls him by his first name when she's concerned about him; the last time she did so was when he passed out from touching the Berserker staff.

Ward sucks in a breath, fully aware that its raggedy and there are tears threatening to well up in his eyes. This was a thousand times harder than his last dream where he told Coulson. While he knew this was harder because he _loved_ Skye, he wishes since it's a dream it wouldn't feel this painful. But it is, and he can't stop himself.

Even when she hears the sob threatening to spill out of him and so she leans forward to wrap her arms around his shoulders. "Grant," she begs," Please tell me. _Please_."

He shakes his head. "You'll hate me," he gasps out, his voice no more than a ragged whisper.

"I can't ever hate you," she whispers back, one of her hands coming up to stroke through his hair reassuringly," Please tell me, Grant. You're scaring me."

He hates to admit it, but her hand in his hair does calm him down. Enough for him to choke out," You _should_ be scared of me, Skye. I'm… I'm Hydra." And it all spills out after that. He's more or less stumbling over his words, in a rush to just get everything out before he wusses out. He tells her about Hydra still existing, how he was recruited by Garrett when he was just a kid, how his mission was to infiltrate SHIELD in his early twenties and how he spent the last ten years as a double spy. He tells her why he's on the plane, to find out how Coulson survived and get the information back to Garrett by any means.

While he's spilling his guts out, while he's laying his entire soul out for her perusal and judgement, she actually continues to hold him throughout it all. It surprises him, that she can stand to even touch him. He's a _traitor_, a monster, the man that was sent to gain their trust and betray them. And she just holds him in her arms, rubbing his back soothingly whenever the tears are close to spilling over.

"Why aren't you pulling away?" he asks her when it's all over, when they just sit there in silence for a few minutes and she doesn't say _anything_," Why aren't you running to Coulson and May, telling them everything I just said? You-" he stutters, actually fucking stutters," You should _hate_ me. I betrayed you."

Skye just leans back so she can look him in the eye, but keeps her arms wrapped loosely around him. Her face is deadly serious as she asks him," Why are you telling me all of this, Grant?" There she goes using his first name and that just confuses him more. Shouldn't he at the very least be back to 'Ward'? 'Grant' is too affectionate, too endearing.

But he at least owes her the truth. "Because I love you," he admits," I can't lie to you anymore, Skye. I fell in love and I wasn't supposed to, and now I'm compromised."

He screws his eyes shut and a few tears finally fall. As soon as he does, he feels her forehead press against his own and he jerks so hard he dislodges their connection. When his eyes snap open, her own eyes are watering. "You didn't betray us," she tells him," You told me the truth, you risked everything because you couldn't lie anymore."

He doesn't understand. "I told you I can never hate you, Grant," she repeats," I love you too, you idiot, _former_ double agent and all. Emphasis on the former part.

* * *

He's not quite clear on who's idea it is in the first place. Maybe it's his, because he knows all too well what Garrett will do once he discovers Ward's compromised. He already tried to have Skye killed just to motivate Coulson to find the GH-325 drug; he'll come to kill her and Ward himself if he finds out Hydra's been revealed early. But when he suggests they run away, she's quick to agree. While Ward's terrified of Garrett and what he'll do in retaliation, he wonders if she only agrees because she's worried what _SHIELD_ will do to _him_.

They sneak out the next time they land (in a remote base in Italy) in the dark of night when almost everyone is sleeping or too tired to notice two agents sneaking off base. They don't bother packing anything more than a few things to remember the team by; they can restock on anything they need later.

All they leave behind is a notebook, every page filled with words and left on Skye's bed. The first part is filled with letters from both of them, written to each member of the team. Ward assumes Skye's letters explain why she left with him, but he didn't dare read them. His own letter are apologizing to everyone; his longest letter is to Coulson, in which he explains his former double agent status and how he became Hydra. He finishes his letter promising that he sincerely loves Skye, and she's the reason why he decided to turn his back on Hydra, and for the rest of his life he'll protect Skye and keep her safe. The rest of the notebook was filled by Ward, filled with everything he ever knew about Hydra and all that he's learned under Garrett's tutorage. He only knew of a few other Hydra agents, mostly the ones that got him into the SHIELD despite his criminal background. Namely, Ward knew about Agent Sitwell.

So he writes all this down for Coulson, along with all of Garrett's safehouses all around the world, including his favorite in Havana, Cuba. Ward hesitates a moment, debating if he should write down all of his own safe houses. He's not sure if Garrett knows about all of them, only a few for sure. But he and Skye are going to need those safe houses if they're to be a step ahead of Coulson who will undoubtedly come after them. With that in mind, he decides not to write them down; it's better to be safe than sorry.

"You did good, Ward," Skye tells him when he lays the notebook down her bed. She's at his side -miraculously- and resting her head on his shoulder, both of them staring at that notebook.

He shrugs," Doesn't mean I _am_ good." He hears her sigh next to him and he's sure she's going to do everything she can to make him change his mind. A part of him is looking forward to seeing her try, and another part sincerely hopes she succeeds.

In the end, they're holding hands when they leave, walking side by side as they take their first steps out of the SHIELD base. Followed by forever.

* * *

It was seven months later in a cozy apartment in Venice, when Skye came running out of the bedroom with her phone. "Grant! Grant!" she called excitedly, and he barely had time to set his coffee down before she launched into his arms.

"Hey!" he locked his arms around her, trying to contain her eagerness and all the bouncing that came with it, but grinned down at her regardless," What's got you so excited?" She squirmed in his arms, attempting to free one of her own so that she could shove her phone under his nose.

"Just _look_ at this!" she cooed happily. She giggled when Ward had to cross his eyes in order to even look at her phone.

He just stared at it in confusion. "It's the phone I got for you in Germany?" he asked, wondering why she was so excited about it. She's had it for five months but he's never seen her this exuberant about it before.

"No, you idiot," she berated him and -thankfully- pulled the phone back far enough so he could see it without having to cross his eyes," It's Coulson!"

Ahh, now that he could focus he did see Coulson portrayed on the phone, the video paused on what was no doubt a news anchoring. Then the implications finally settled in. "Wait, what?" Grant's eyes widened and he snatched the phone out of her hand," Is this…" He eyed the subtitle with disbelief and awe.

"He did it!" Skye was so ecstatic that she was practically jumping up and down in his grasp. "Watch it, watch it, watch it!" she commanded, moving and shoving his arm -he was too busy staring at the phone to really resist- so that it was wrapped around her waist instead of constricting her movements. By the time she was comfortable, she was sidled under his chin where both of them could see the tiny screen.

Ward nervously pressed play.

"-_Agent Phillip J. Coulson, of SHIELD,_" the pretty newswoman stated," _has just announced the second demise of the World War II terrorist organization, Hydra. But tell me, Agent, I thought that Hydra had been disbanded permanently in 1944 when Captain America defeated its founder, Johann Schmidt."_

Coulson nodded sympathetically at her, then explained," _We recently discovered that Hydra hadn't disbanded entirely, it had simply gone underground and focused mainly on espionage for the past 70 years. Luckily, we found them before they could do any real damage."_

"_Is it true that they were hiding in your own organization?_" the reporter pressed, and it was evident she was a little judgmental on the point," _I mean, SHIELD is supposedly the most elite spy organization in the world, even more infamous than the CIA. How was it possible for a terrorist organization to hide right under your nose for so many years? You say they haven't done any 'real damage' but how do you know? You weren't aware of their existence for almost a century."_

Coulson just shrugged and Skye had to laugh at how nonchalant he was being when faced with a nosy reporter. "_Their agents were good_," he simply said," _Our agents are better. In the end, it only took two Agents of SHIELD to start the process of cleaning house. If it weren't for those two, Hydra would've gotten away with much more."_

"_Where are these two agents?"_ she asked,"_How about we have an interview with them and find out the full story?"_

He just smiled knowingly," _I'm afraid Agents Skye and Ward are unavailable at the moment; they've had to go off the books recently._" Then, as if knowing they'd be watching, he turned to directly face the camera and with a serious face he announced," _We're still waiting for them to come to their senses and come home. We're still a team, and those two will always be a part of it."_

And with that, he thanked the reporter for her time and walked off screen, ignoring the woman's calls that the interview wasn't finished yet. But Skye and Ward didn't bother watching the rest, and silently he placed the phone down on the counter.

After a long moment, Skye turned around in his arms so that she was pressed against his chest and looking up at him. "It's been seven months, Grant," she said quietly. Seven months since they left, seven months since SHIELD started cleaning house, seven months since they've seen their friends. But Ward wasn't sure if he'd ever be ready to face them again. Not now that they knew the truth, knew that he had been a traitor from the very beginning. He was already unbelievably lucky that Skye stayed with him, loved him even; he couldn't be selfish enough to hope that maybe the rest of the team would take him back.

Besides, they had their own life now, here in Venice. It was a quiet city, beautiful and with an infinite amount of escape routes. Was Ward ready to give that all up just to go back?

As if understanding his dilemna, Skye leaned up on her tiptoes so she could press a kiss against his lips. He barely responded, distracted by his thoughts as he was. But it was enough to at least get his attention and she watched as his big dark eyes blinked slowly at her. "This can still be our home, Grant," she whispered," But they're still our family. We can't shut them out forever."

"I'm not saying we go back to being agents," she amended," But maybe… think about maybe inviting them to dinner?"

He blinked at her. Dinner… Yeah, he could do that. Until, that is…

"May's going to kill me," he groaned.


	11. Confrontation

"I told you Skye was off limits!" Ward seethed and in a primitive show of fury, bared his teeth at Garrett. He confronted him the first chance he had when his S.O. stepped onto the Bus, waiting patiently while he and Coulson talked. But as soon as Garrett asked to see "the girl" Ward volunteered to bring him.

...He had no plans to let Garrett get within even 15 feet of her.

The instant they were alone in the hallways, Grant whirled around and fixed his S.O. with a glare. At his declaration, Garrett just laughed. "Hey, what's got your panties in a twist?" he asked, grinning with all his teeth in that way that Ward hated.

Ward gritted his teeth, wishing he could- Wait, what the hell? This was a _dream_, he could do whatever the fuck he wanted! "You're a bastard, John!" he yelled at him, watching with enjoyment as the grin slid off Garrett's face," You shot Skye, with no warning, no reason!"

Garrett's face was dark and his voice hard like ice," Last time I checked, Ian Quinn shot the girl!"

"Under _your_ orders!" Ward screamed at him, and it was a miracle no one came running," And her _name_ is _Skye_!"

Garrett opened his mouth, but he never got the chance to say anything. Ward yelled and yelled and everything that he ever dislike about Garrett came out in hate filled words. All the way from his arrogant smile that he thought could get him out of every situation, to the way he disposed of men like they were candy wrappers. It sickened Ward, and though he knew Garrett wouldn't ever do that to him, Ward valued human life and to see it destroyed so easily made him want to vomit.

"I'm done!" he declared with a hard look in his eyes, delighted to see the shock in Garrett's own eyes," Find someone else to do your dirty work. But you leave me, and Skye, and this team the _hell_ alone!"

"I _knew_ it," Garrett sneered right back at him," You're _weak_. Right from the start, you were weak. You've let these people get under your skin, you've let them become a weakness."

The words Ward grew up with, the words his family and then Garrett had ingrained in his mind, caused him to flinch and stare wide eyed at Garrett. 'Weak'? It was…true. He cared too much for Skye, for this team, and it was a weakness. He knew better…

And then a surge of courage, of strength that Grant knew he did not possess in real life, rushed through him and for an instant -a brief but glorious instant- it was not a weakness, but a strength. These feelings he had for the team, his team, maybe they were a weakness, but maybe it was worth it.

"I don't care," he hissed at Garrett," But if you _ever_ try something like that again, I'll go to straight to Director Fury and tell him _everything_."

Garrett's face was murderous as he reached for his gun, intent upon killing Ward here and now," You think I'll give you the chan-" He cut himself off when his reaching hand didn't encounter his weapon.

Click.

Wide eyes glanced up to see Ward pointing his own gun between his eyes. While Garrett's face had been murderous, Ward's face promised a lot of pain and misery. "This is your only warning," his voice was low and dark and for the first time in fifteen years, Garrett was faced by a rogue Ward," _Leave us alone."_

…

Ward woke up in a cold sweat, breathing harshly. '_What was I just dreaming about?'_ he wondered as he gasped for air. He couldn't quite…remember. It was strange, not being able to clearly remember his dream; it's been a while since he had one of those. All that remained was a sense of… well, he could still feel the dream-induced adrenaline running through him, so obviously his dream was about… battle? Fear? A fight of some sort? But then there was the faint feeling of concern, the kind that he only felt when trying to protect Skye.

"Ugh," he groaned in frustration, pressing the heel of his palm to his forehead. This was only giving him a headache. And he could feel it start to build into a full out migraine. Today was going to be a _long_ day.


	12. Staying

He was holding firmly onto Skye's hand and refused to let go. Thankfully she seemed to understand his need to have some form of contact with her -however small- and after the initial attempt, didn't try to pull away. So she remained by his side, listened in horror as Coulson explained just _who_ the Clairvoyant really was, wrapped her arms around him as he collapsed against the wall, stayed with him after Coulson walked away to go talk to Agent Hand.

So here they were, waiting in the hallway with the rest of the team -plus Triplett- for them to return. Truthfully, Ward didn't even know if the team just hung out in a hallway during this time; he wasn't there. _'This would be around the time I'd go to Agent Hand and ask to be the one to escort Garrett to the Fridge,'_ he mused, remembering what really happened a little over a week ago. But right now…he had no plans other than staying right here, right by Skye, and holding her hand until someone ripped it away from him.

They were still there in the hallway when the level 8's and former level 8 (Garrett) returned, the latter being handcuffed and guarded by two armed agents. Ward and Skye stared at Garrett as he passed, but John's eyes were focused on Ward and in them Grant still saw his arrogance. '_He still thinks I'm going with him,_' he realized, then smiled when he planned the exact opposite. Images of the shock on Garrett's face when he realized he really was going to the Fridge to stay almost made Ward laugh.

Skye squeezed his hand to get his attention and Ward looked back in time to see Coulson standing in front of them. His blue eyes flickered down to their still intertwined fingers but obviously decided to leave it be for now. Instead he addressed Ward," Agent Hand is wondering if you'd like to go along. Seeing as he was your S.O. maybe you'd like to put the lock on the door yourself."

Grant scoffed,' _Of course_.' Even if he planned otherwise, this stupid dream was working against him. But… he was now in control, and could do whatever the hell he wanted, regardless of what really happened.

So he shook his head and subtly pulled Skye further into his side. In response, she twined her arm around his waist and Ward didn't miss the way Coulson's jaw clenched in fatherly concern. "I'm going to have to say no, sir," Ward said," I'll be happy if I never see his face again."

Behind Coulson, he saw Garrett's head turn around so fast that the agents holding him didn't even have time to stop him. But the look of pure shock on his face was enough to make Ward grin.

"Are you sure?" Coulson asked.

Ward unabashedly kissed Skye's temple, the grin still on his lips. "I'm never leaving this team," he replied, and deep down he wished he had said that in the first place.


	13. Fix Me Up, Dr Simmons

He should've known that Skye would drag him to Simmons the first chance she got. He did know actually, he just hoped it would be later rather than sooner.

"Bloody hell, what happened to you?" Jemma exclaimed once Ward pulled his shirt off over his head and revealed the plethora of bruises adorning his body. In the corner where Skye waited, he heard a gasp and a," Damn…" Ward tried not to look or feel shy -he's certainly been in worse conditions- but Skye had never seen him like this. He never wanted her to see him like this. With a glance downward at his own chest, he was amazed at the sheer damage. Even though he never bruised easily, the evidence of his thorough beating was plain to see.

"Robot here thought it was a good idea to fight twenty guys all by himself," Skye said and Ward had the distinct impression that she was scolding him.

"Twelve," he couldn't help but correct her, smirking when she glared at him.

He then felt Jemma begin to swab some antibiotic ointment on a gash in his back he got from some shrapnel. She paused when she saw all the burn marks. "Were you in an _explosion_?!"

At that, he and Skye exchanged glances. "It's all Skye's fault," he said instantly.

"Hey! How is it my fault?"

"_You_ had the bag full of C4; it was _your_ idea to blow up the control center," he pointed out, much to everyone's amusement," _I_ thought we were going to _hack_ the system."

Then she gave him 'the look' and he shut up. The look that told him she was "this close" to reminding him his exact words when she opened the bag of C4.

_~"Who said anything about hacking?" Skye grinned and opened the backpack, revealing the bricks of C4. She had nabbed them from the Bus before their sudden departure, stealing specifically from Ward's own stash from under his bed. (When she later revealed that little tidbit, he was just a tiny bit worried that she even knew where he stashed his explosives in the first place)_

_His eyes widened upon seeing the -familiar- bricks, which then darted up to her own and her grin. "Huh," he breathed," That's hot."_

_She laughed out loud._

_"I'm serious," he said dramatically, laying a hand over his heart for dramatic effect," A woman after my own heart." She was still laughing when he reached out to take the bag from her. Looking over her shoulder as she passed him, there was a wicked grin on her lips._

_"Come on, Wall-E, we've got a building to blow up."_

_He was all too eager to follow after her, muttering," That's my girl," under his breath."~_

Ward came back to the present when he heard Fitz ask," Then why isn't Skye hurt at all?"

If Simmons wasn't so busy patching up Ward, she might've swatted Fitz. "Don't be silly Fitz," she reprimanded," Ward would never let Skye get hurt." Let it never be said that Ward can't blush, because he certainly did when he heard such praise coming from the British scientist.

Then to make him blush even more, Skye had smile warmly at him. Then… she opened her mouth," Yeah, Ward makes a pretty good meat shield."


End file.
